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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Yves Saint Laurent premieres the first lightweight non-sticky lip gloss. A precious liquid, light yet intensely glossy, its ethereal texture is a celebration of pleasure that invites indulgence. “Bouche a Bouche,” the applicator, envelops the lips with this elixir of seduction. In a breath of life, lips are filled with a reflective and radiant color. Golden, Iridescent or Pure…Beautiful. To die for. Encapsulated in a divine jewel, this lip gloss attracts like an irresistible magnet.

That's pretty high praise YSL wrote to publicize its newest lip gloss, Gloss Volupté - over the top, actually. So I set out to find this latest wonder-gloss and see if it really is the paragon of lip glosses.

The new Gloss Volupté is available in 10 sparkling golden shades, four iridescent shades, and nine "pure" crystal effect shades. Enlarge the photo above by clicking on it. All 23 of the shades are called base shades. Additionally, there are three top coats: #1 Gold (golden radiance); #201 Pure for enhanced shine; and the limited-edition #209, Smoking, for a day-to-night look.

The Light Kiss System is said to instantly transform the texture of your lips on contact (you can't make this stuff up). The gloss leaves an ultra-slim, non-sticky film on the lips (truth). Offering balm-like care, it's said to be 10 times more unctuous than a classical lip gloss.

The unique applicator has a hole in it, as you can see above. It is said to have 3D curves for an intuitive application, a fine tip for precision, and a supple and flexible core for a sensory application. The pout heart along the edge is said to allow for even distribution of the gloss along your lips. For full lips, the enveloping inside 3D curve is perfect for a full and voluptuous lip. For finer lips, the distinct outside 3D curve allows for precision. I'm having trouble typing this with a straight face.

The gloss colors are gorgeous. I purchased two at Neiman Marcus. The photo above is dark. I had to take it in bright overcast conditions. At least the sun came out later - enough for me to take swatch photos. Number 4, Fuchsia Vermeil, a golden shade, is shown above at left; #102, Rose Satine, an iridescent shade is shown on the right. I wanted one pink and one peach shade. The display was overwhelming - so many shades! As I tested the testers on my hand and arm, I was looking for pigmentation.

Many of the shades were very sheer, but I managed to find two that have nice pigmentation. I will be able to wear them without lipstick underneath.

Why are my swatches so uneven? It's that bizarre wand. Just look at my photo of the wand below. It looks like Charlie chewed on it. It has a weird, bent shape, which adds nothing to the ease of application or its precision in my opinion.

Let's look beyond the hyperbole in the marketing copy and the bizarre wand and talk about the new colors. I really love them, particularly Rose Satine - the peach one.

I think these two colors are gorgeous. They feel good on the lips. They apply just fine, but no better than other glosses with more traditional wands. They offer average lasting power and lots of pretty shine. I could have easily selected more shades. The range is phenomenal.

Be aware that Gloss Volupté has a noticeable taste. I could do without the taste. Unfortunately, it sticks around too long.

It's time to conclude this feature. In the past, YSL's glosses have taken their place among my favorites. It remains to be seen whether the new Gloss Volupté will earn such a coveted spot. I'm reserving judgement until I have more experience with them.

5 comments:

I bought these in Granade Pepite and Terriblement Fuchsia. They're lovely glosses and do contain some gold glitter, but nothing extreme. Both of these colors also offer good pigmentation without being opaque. I wear these on their own and the color is definitely present. The day I visited the YSL counter, I was looking for something fuchsia without it being overly bright, matte, or opaque. I skipped the lipsticks and zeroed in on Terriblement Fuchsia. It has turned out to be a great way for me to rock the fuchsia lip trend without looking silly. Although I was specifically looking for fuchsia, I was completely taken by Grande Pepite. This warm, tropical pink was just too pretty to leave behind and so it came home with me, too.

These are nice, smooth glosses in a beautiful array of colors, but they are not the revolutionary wonders the marketing hyperbole would have you believe. They do apply creamy smooth and dry to a non-sticky finish. They also smooth the lips and are very comfortable to wear. But, that lip-shaped applicator? Talk about silliness in advertising! It applies the gloss unevenly which means you have to swipe over your lips a few times to even out the color--at least that's my experience with the colors I purchased. You probably wouldn't notice it so much with the sheer shades. All considered, YSL has come out with a lovely gloss, but nothing that hasn't already been done before and with a much better applicator :-)

I ordered Rose Fusion #103 today from Sephora today to take advantage of the 3 free VIBLUXE minis available today! Just what I was waiting for! Fell in love with this amazing shade at NM a few weeks ago but was waiting for a special to motivate me. Can't wait to receive it!

I, too, find the applicator to be more difficult to use than a brush or Q-tip type. I have to take more care to be sure I haven't smeared the gloss so I agree, the applicator is not a plus. The taste is not terrible but I'd prefer that they toned it way down or had no taste at all. I still do love the glosses and will continue to purchase them, but IMO, those are the drawbacks. The color range is terrific, consistency is wonderful etc. Wouldn't want to be without YSL.

About Me

Charlestongirl, a Virginia baby boomer, has a successful left-brain
business career, but her heart belongs to her right brain, which loves
the beauty industry, antiques, jewelry, gardens, and the finer things in
life. She loves sharing her extensive (and expensive) experience with
beauty products with others and hopes she can help you choose products
that are worth the splurge.
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